Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Let's Get To Know GHOST MOUNTAIN RANCH: DARBY ~ by #RomanceGems Author Jan Scarbrough



Welcome to Feature Friday where we have Jan Scarbrough in the spotlight with her book GHOST MOUNTAIN RANCH: DARBY. Let's talk to Jan about it...






DARBY is the second book in The Ghost Mountain Ranch series. Tell us about this series. What ties the books together?

Several years ago, I decided to give a story to Hank, the head wranglers at the Six Buckles Ranch in Montana. The story didn’t have such a happy ending, but it was a way for me to have Hank leave the Dawson family and go to Ghost Mountain Ranch where I knew he would meet his high school sweetheart Darby York.

The three books that I wrote after HANK tell the story of Darby and her two children Slade (named after her first love) and Kelsey. Darby is estranged from her father but comes home to the ranch at the urging of Hank and Kelsey. There she uncovers clues about her mother’s past. The next two stories in the series are complete romance, but they also reveal the mystery about what happened to Darby’s mother.


What's your inspiration for this series?

My husband and I visited a Montana dude ranch in 2016, so the Ghost Mountain Ranch is sort of a combination among several ranches. When I wanted to add a mystery to my new western series, my editor suggested doing something about the anti-war movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I read a few history books on the subject and came up with a complicated back story for Darby, her mother, and Darby’s family.


Tell us more about your heroine, Darby York. What in her past influenced her to be the woman we meet in the story?

Darby was very close to her mother. When her mother commits suicide, Darby feels guilty and thinks she’s somehow responsible. She flees the Montana dude ranch where she grew up and ends up working at a Kentucky horse farm where she meets and marries the wealthy owner. I wanted her life in Kentucky to be happy. She has children and a doting husband who indulges her passion for art. When the story starts, I wanted Darby to resist returning to Montana because of the guilt she’s never resolved.


What about Hank Slade, wrangler at Ghost Mountain Ranch? What's a wrangler? What kind of man is he?

A wrangler is someone who looks after horses or other animals on a ranch. On a dude ranch, a wrangler will get the horses ready and lead trail rides for the guests. Hank Slade is a loner. He’s been a wrangler at the Dawson’s ranch for years. Hank is unlucky in love. He had two loves—Darby and Liz Dawson, the wife of the ranch owner who has recently remarried. Taking the head job at Ghost Mountain Ranch gives Hank a new purpose in life. He doesn’t count on Darby coming back into it.


What inspired you to write about older protagonists?

I understand older protagonists better because I am older myself. I also like to give characters a second or third chance in life. We don’t get our lives right from the beginning. As Hank says, we learn from our mistakes.


Which character in the series is your favorite to write? Why?

I enjoyed writing about Darby and having her come to terms with her past. She runs away from her fears until she must confront the truth and her feelings.


Which character in the series is the hardest to write? Why?

I think Slade was the hardest to write. He’s unsure of himself but becomes a man working at the ranch. I hope I made his growth in self-confidence realistic.




Blurbs ~


HANK:

On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living.


DARBY:

Thirty years ago, Darby Heston fled her family’s Montana dude ranch. Now she must return to help her father. Would the boyfriend she’d abandoned still be there? Hank Slade has never stopped loving Darby, but is he willing to risk his heart again? Secrets tore them apart once. Given a second chance at love, will more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?


SLADE:

Slade Heston is spending the summer as a hired hand at his grandfather’s dude ranch, trying to figure out life, not fall in love. Laurie Chastain is supposed to write promotions for the ranch, but she has a secret goal. What did a 1970s radical resistance group have to do with her grandfather? Laurie’s only clue leads her to Ghost Mountain Ranch. Will their growing attraction be enough to protect Slade and Laurie from the ghosts of the past?


KELSEY:

Kelsey Heston’s using the skills learned at her family’s Kentucky horse farm to improve tourism at her grandfather’s dude ranch. But what is her old college sweetheart doing here? Max Lee has come to Ghost Mountain Ranch searching for a missing woman. Instead, he finds Kelsey. But old secrets are stirring, secrets someone might be willing to kill to keep. Can they finally lay the old ghosts to rest, or will the echoes of a decades-old murder destroy their second chance at love?





Bio ~

Whether it is the Bluegrass of Kentucky, the mountains of Montana, or Medieval England, Jan Scarbrough brings you home with romances from the heart.

The author of two popular Bluegrass series, Jan writes heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms, and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion—horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books and the excitement of a Bluegrass horse race or a competitive horse show.

Jan leaves her contemporary voice behind with two paranormal gothic romances, Timeless and Tangled Memories, a Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart finalist. Her historical romance, My Lord Raven, is a medieval story of honor and betrayal.

A member of Novelist, Inc., Jan self-publishes her books with her husband’s help.





Thank you, Jan, for joining us today and for sharing your Ghost Mountain Ranch series with us!



Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, April 8, 2021

We Could All Use a Little HEALING SUMMER ~ Liz Flaherty #RomanceGem



Hello! I've got another gem of a writer this morning! Romance Gem and USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty has joined us to tell us a little bit about herself and her romance THE HEALING SUMMER. First, let's ask Liz a few questions...

When did your love for writing start?

I’m not positive, to tell the truth, but I can give three possibilities. (1) In the first grade, when I got my first Dick and Jane book and it was discovered that I was a really good reader and I figured out that was how I wanted to spend all my time. (2) I read Little Women until the covers literally fell off and I had to Elmer’s Glue new cardboard covers onto the book. (3) My aunt had a Royal manual typewriter my brothers and I were fascinated by. I spent an exhausting afternoon hunting-and-pecking a story on it when I was nine. The story was awful, but I was permanently hooked on the process.

What is something you struggle with when you write?

Focus. I am too all-over-the-place. Because I am much more character-driven than plot-driven, I’m sooo interested in my people (and everyone else’s) that I write much more into them than is necessary for a story.

Hmm...sounds like someone else I know...

Where do you live? Where would you love to live?

I live in the country in north central Indiana. I have lived here always. It’s politically uncomfortable and I don’t always love its weather, but it is nevertheless home. If there was only me to consider, I’d love to live in Vermont. It’s my single favorite place in the world. Of course, I’m fairly certain I’d skip town in a heartbeat during the months of January and February to go somewhere warm—preferably with a beach attached.

I feel those beach vibes, too!

Name your favorite children's story.

How much room do you have here? I loved so many of them, but if I could only have one, it would be Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s Understood Betsy. I first read it when I was eight or nine and have probably read it 50 times since then. It gave birth to my love for Vermont. There is something about Betsy’s character arc, and the arcs of some of the other characters, that is so satisfying to me. I even have it on my Kindle, and there are certain scenes I’ll seek out and read for the comfort of them.

I've never heard of it. I'll have to check it out. I love to hear when others love the same books I do, but it's also good to discover others. Thanks for sharing that!

What is your concept of a fruitful day?

I’m in my office before daybreak. I get some words in. My husband and I spend time together. We may go out for lunch. I might see a kid or a grandkid. More words. I laugh a lot.

That sounds wonderful! Well-balanced! Thanks for joining us, Liz, and we look forward to hearing more from you in the future!







Bio ~


Retired from the post office and married to Duane for…a really long time, USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty has had a heart-shaped adult life, populated with kids and grands and wonderful friends. She admits she can be boring, but hopes her curiosity about everyone and everything around her keeps her from it. She likes traveling and quilting and reading. And she loves writing.












Blurb ~


It’s a summer romance--what happens come September?

When Steven Elliott accidentally rides his bike into Carol Whitney’s car at the cemetery, the summer takes on new and exciting possibilities. Long friendship wends its way into something deeper when their hearts get involved. Feelings neither of them had expected to experience again enrich their days and nights. But what happens when the long summer ends? When Carol wants a family and commitment and a future, Steven isn't so sure. He’s had his heart broken before—can he risk it again?








Excerpt ~


Once inside the cemetery, Steven left some flowers on his mother’s grave and more on Promise’s mother’s before lowering himself to the ground beside his wife’s granite marker. “Hey,” he said, leaning forward to straighten the flowers he’d stuffed into the vase on the base of the stone, “what’s new, darlin’? I had a rotten morning, let me tell you.”

And tell her he did. Not only about this morning but about the six weeks since he’d last been here. He knew people who swore their dead loved ones talked to them, but he never expected that. It would have scared the bejesus right out of him if Promise answered his ramblings, although he knew what she’d say.

Get a life, Desperado.

He wanted to. Some days, anyway. Other times, most times, he didn’t give a good damn. If he hadn’t realized the depth of losses his sister and his best friend had already endured, he’d have considered an “accidental” overdose a long time ago. They wouldn’t forgive him if he offed himself, and God probably wouldn’t either. Steven didn’t always attend the church in which he’d been raised, but he believed in the hereafter, and he certainly didn’t want to piss off the One who ran things there.

The cemetery was shadowy with approaching evening by the time he straddled Dillon’s bicycle again. The air had cooled considerably. He was exhausted, wrung out by the emotional merry-go-round the day had been. With any luck at all, the weariness and the quietude of home would make for a good night’s sleep. Peacock wasn’t referred to in travel brochures as a “sleepy little town” for nothing.

That was, in retrospect, the only possible reason he could come up with for not looking either way before he rode the bicycle into the one-lane road that dissected the cemetery.

Ooh! Great hook! I can't wait to read it!






Posted by at 18 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, August 19, 2016

~ You'll be Happy You Stumbled Upon STUMBLE STONES! ~







Please welcome Marilyn Baron, author of STUMBLE STONES, a novel released today by The Wild Rose Press! Let's find out a little more about her...


What is the best thing you’ve learned about writing and/or the publishing business? 

Of all the authors I’ve interviewed, the best and most universal advice I’ve ever received is “Finish the book.” You can always revise and improve a manuscript but you can’t fix a blank page. I also recommend joining a writer’s group. I’m in Georgia Romance Writers and the friendships and support you receive are invaluable.

Yes! Or as an English friend of mine would say, "Finish the damn book!" What is something you struggle with when you write? 

I’m great at beginnings and endings. The “sagging middle” often poses a problem. I love to write dialogue, I love setting and description but “show, don’t tell,” is a skill I need to improve. I also like to change POV within a scene, which is a no-no, although Nora Roberts does it successfully.

Oh, yes. Nora Roberts Syndrome. I suffer from that, too. Give us a brief glimpse at your road to publication. 

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I started out writing humorous paranormal short stories for a small press specializing in science fiction, supernatural, horror & urban fantasy, thriller and mainstream. My stories are about angels and devils, love and death, weddings and funerals—happy endings guaranteed. Then I self-published a women’s fiction novel, a shopping-related suspense tale and a musical about Alzheimer’s called Memory Lane with my sister, a Florida artist. I submitted a manuscript to The Wild Rose Press, and my novel, Under the Moon Gate, was published in 2013. My new novel, Stumble Stones, which will be released August 19, will be my 11th book with that publisher. AmazonEncore re-released Sixth Sense, Book 1 of my psychic suspense series, last September. I write in a variety of genres, from humorous coming-of-middle-age women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and suspense to paranormal. You can find out more about what I write on my Web site at www.marilynbaron.com.

Do you have a job outside of writing? What is it and how does it mesh with your writing? 

I majored in Journalism (Public Relations sequence) and minored in English (Creative Writing) in college and I have been a corporate writer and editor my entire career, first with AT&T and then as head of my own PR agency, so fiction is just a different kind of writing.

Share with us a little about your family. Married? Kids? Pets? 

I live in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb north of Atlanta, with my husband and we have two daughters and a son-in-law who also live in Atlanta. We had a Bichon Frise named Doogie, and she lived for about 19 years. I feature her a lot in my books because I miss her. I love to travel, and often feature destinations I’ve visited in my books. I lived in Florence, Italy, for six months so I use Florence as a setting in a number of my books. Under the Moon Gate was set in contemporary and WW II Bermuda because I love Bermuda and have been there about 10 times. I wrote Sixth Sense, which is partially set in Sydney, Australia, after I traveled to Australia and New Zealand. Stumble Stones is set in Rome, Berlin and on a Scandinavian cruise, all places I’ve visited or experiences I’ve had. The Widows’ Gallery and Killer Cruise are set on a Mediterranean cruise, which I recently took. I set some of my books in Florida since I’m from Miami, went to college at University of Florida and have a beach condo in Florida.

Okay. Now, just for fun-

If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be? 

My handle was “The Baronness,” when I used to broadcast the audio news to AT&T employees and my promotional poster featured me with a CB radio and a hard hat.

Awesome handle! What CD is in your CD player right now? 

The CD I listen to in the car is the soundtrack to our musical Memory Lane. The songs are catchy so I can’t get the music out of my head. My sister and I hope that one day it will be produced on stage. I love music from the ’40s because I’m fascinated by World War II and it’s a theme I often use in my books.

Name your favorite children's story. 

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder was what inspired me to become a writer.

It's amazing how many writers say that! What was your nickname growing up or now? 

Perry. My father called me Perry after Perry Como because he liked that singer and he sang like Perry Como.

What one thing (modern convenience) you could not live without? 

A hair dryer.

I hear you! I don't know how pioneer women lived without them! What are your three favorite smells? 

That’s a funny question, because I was born without a sense of smell, although I do have a sense of taste. I discovered this when my sisters and brother and I came home from school one day and they said, “Oh, we’re having XXXX for dinner,” and I asked how they could tell. They could smell the food, but I couldn’t. I can’t smell anything. I’ve never smelled perfume or flowers. It came in handy when I was changing diapers while my kids were babies. Once my kitchen caught on fire and I was standing there in the smoke-filled room looking the other way and I couldn’t smell the smoke so luckily someone was home and told me to get out of the kitchen. When I went to a factory outside of Denver where they make tea, I walked into a room where they stored the peppermint. Everyone else had to leave immediately because the smell was so overpowering. For the first and only time I could smell it and I wanted to stay in there. Peppermint is one of my favorite flavors. 

Very interesting! I've never had that answer before! Now that we've found out a little bit about you, let's find out more about Stumble Stones... 


Blurb ~


Hallelujah Weiss, writer for the steamy sudser As the Planet Spins, gets a second chance at love when she flees to Italy to get over her recent divorce, courtesy of her cheating ex-husband’s credit card. A woman scorned, Hallelujah has sworn off men and is determined to reinvent herself. The new Hallelujah is eager to live life on the edge, more like Polly, a character she writes and idolizes.

Lonely Berlin hedge fund manager Alexander Stone, a number cruncher who puts his faith in numerical data, still believes in destiny, despite the fact his fiancée just dumped him. Always a man with a plan, Alexander did not plan on Hallelujah.

After a chance encounter on a flight to Rome, the unlikely pair faces danger when they team up to return to their rightful owner a stash of WW II vintage jewels. The hidden diamonds hold the key to an unsolved mystery and a promise of love. 


Excerpt ~

Life was better in Business Class, especially when your cheating ex-husband was paying for it. Hallelujah couldn’t wait until Lloyd got the bill—for the airline ticket, the set of top-of-the-line TUMI luggage, the fashionable, Italian-worthy wardrobe, a two-week stay at a first-class hotel in Florence, an expensive day of pampering at the hotel spa, dinner in the city’s finest restaurant, and front row seats to the Il Volo concert. It’s not like Lloyd Evans couldn’t afford it. It would hardly make a dent in the bastard’s bank account.



Her short-term plan was to spend as much of Lloyd’s money as she could before his skanky secretary/fiancée Olivia Brewster got her greedy little hands on it. Polly would be proud of me.



But she wasn’t Polly. Polly lived life on the wild side, and she had a vindictive streak. Hallie Evans was practical. She believed in playing it safe and paying her own way. But she deserved this final fling. She had scraped together the last of her savings, and she would use those funds when Lloyd’s credit card was tapped out. Then she would go back to the single life and the single paycheck and try not to dwell on how much her ex had hurt and humiliated her. But right now, Polly was in the pilot’s seat. And, from now on, Hallie was determined to live life on the edge, just like Polly.



Settling into her roomy Magnifica seat, she signaled the Alitalia flight attendant for another amaretto sour before the plane took off. Getting properly sloshed mid-air was a strategic and recent addendum to the plan. Oh, and part of her plan was to swear off men.



What are Stumble Stones?

Stumble Stones is a real project. German artist Gunter Demnig has placed five thousand of these brass plaques—known as Stolpersteine or “stumble stones,” cobblestone-sized Holocaust memorial stones—in Berlin and some fifty thousand of them in eighteen countries in Europe. 


Author Bio ~

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from humorous coming-of-middle age women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. Stumble Stones will be her 11th novel published with The Wild Rose Press. She’s also published five short stories with TWB Press and self-published three books, including a musical about Alzheimer’s called Memory Lane. AmazonEncore republished her book Sixth Sense on September 15, 2015. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is a Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) Maggie Award winner, a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and GRW and winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm. She serves on the 2015 and 2016 Roswell Reads Steering Committee. She was selected as a featured author in the 2015 Atlanta Authors Series. She presented on two panels at the AJC-Decatur Book Festival (the largest independent book festival in the country) on September 6, 2015. She was a 2016 Nominee for the 52nd Georgia Author of the Year Awards (books published in 2015) in two categories—Detective/Mystery for Landlocked and Romance for The Widows’ Gallery. She’s a member of two book clubs. Read more about Marilyn at www.marilynbaron.com. 

Links ~

Amazon Pre-Order E Book

https://www.amazon.com/Stumble-Stones-Novel-Marilyn-Baron-ebook/dp/B01HLSSXSY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467292613&sr=1-1&keywords=stumble+stones+baron+kindle#navbar

Stumble Stones E Book The Wild Rose Press

http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4473-stumble-stones-a-novel.html



Stumble Stones Paperback The Wild Rose Press

http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/paperback-books/4433-stumble-stones-a-novel-paperback.html?search_query=Stumble+Stones+Paperback&results=1

Barnes & Noble Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stumble-stones-marilyn-baron/1124055735?ean=2940158118838

Author Media Links

Website www.marilynbaron.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/MarilynBaron

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marilyn-Baron/286807714666748

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4722647.Marilyn_Baron

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Marilyn+Baron&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Marilyn+Baron&sort=relevancerank


Book Trailer for Stumble Stones:

https://youtu.be/-3Jjo1ASiDY





Stumble Stones: A Novel by Marilyn Baron is a multilayered, dark and humorous Romancing the Stone-style suspense about a cache of priceless diamonds hidden in World War II that sparks a hasty wedding on the high seas and a dangerous chase through Europe that holds the key to an unsolved mystery and a promise of lost love.



Praise for STUMBLE STONES



“Modern characters find themselves thrown into a mystery that spans generations, and to discover the answers, they have to look to the past. Marilyn Baron perfectly blends that laugh-out-loud humor of a new romance with the heartbreaking story of a family torn apart by the Holocaust. Touching and beautifully written with marvelous attention to setting and history.”

~Jennifer Moore, Author of Change of Heart


Posted by at 28 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)